Water-cooled steel skewback channel for furnace roof



J. H. REIGHART 2,919,683

WATER-COOLED STEEL SKEWBACK CHANNEL FOR FURNACE ROOF Jan. 5, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 20, 1957 IN VEN TOR Jzuw HReb'glzari? g/zwkag ATTORNEYS J. H. REIGHART 2,919,683

WATER-COOLED STEEL SKEWBACK CHANNEL FOR FURNACE ROOF Jan. 5, 1960 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Dec. 20, 1957 3| 34 INVENTOR June HRe ATTORNEYS United States Patent WATER-COOLED STEEL SKEWBACK CHANNEL FOR FURNACE ROOF June H. Reighart, Cleveland, Ohio, assignor to Sticker Industrial Supply Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio Application December 20, 1957, Serial No. 704,112

2 Claims. (Cl. 122-6) The invention relates to skewback channels for a furnace roof or arch, and more particularly to a fabricated, hollow, steel skewback channel with means for passing cooling water therethrough, and the present application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Serial No. 681,725, filed September 3, 1957.

Under present practice, the arched roof of a furnace is supported at each side upon a refractory skewback block mounted upon the top of the adjacent side wall of the furnace and supported in a steel channel.

Although it is common practice to locate cooling water pipes between the bottom of the refractory skewback block and the top of the furnace side Wall, it is not possible to cool the refractory block sufficiently to prevent rapid deterioration thereof by the extreme heat of the furnace. As a result, the refractory skewback blocks become so badly burned away that they must be replaced after a very few heats of the furnace. This is obviously an expensive operation and furthermore the furnace must remain shut down during such repairs, thus considerably reducing the output of the furnace and increasing production costs.

Furthermore, the conventional cooling means for such refractory skewback blocks has little or no cooling effect upon the adjacent portions of the furnace roof,iresulting in rapid burning out of the brickwork in the roof arch, which in turn requires additional shut-down time of the furnace for roof repairs, thus further reducing the output of the furnace and increasing production costs.

In my copending application above referred to, a watercooled steel skewback channel is disclosed which overcomes certain of the above recited objections and disadvantages. The skewback channel disclosed in said application is in the form of a fabricated hollow steel shell having separated upper and lower water-cooled chambers through which cooling water may be continuously circulated.

The present application pertains to an improvement upon such devices, in which the upper water chamber extends to the top of the skewback channel so as to include the entire body of the channel, whereby the entire section may be cooled, thus providing additional protection against burning out in the upper area which extends above the furnace roof. The present invention also includes a self-contained support for oversize courses of roof brick.

cool the skewback channel itself but also to maintain .adjacent portions of the furnace roof and side-wall considerably cooler than in conventional practice.

A further object of the invention is to provide such 2,919,683 Patented Jan. 5, 1960 a skewback channel having a water chamber extending above the furnace roof so as to prevent the same from burning away in the event it is exposed to furnace flames and high heat by collapsing of a section of the roof.

It is another object of the invention to provide a skewback channel formed of steel plates, preformed and Welded together to form a hollow skewback channel having water-tight cooling chambers therein extending throughout the entire height of the channel.

A further object of the invention is to provide a skewback channel of this character in which the preformed metal plates are so welded together that no weld therein is exposed to the direct furnace heat, thus avoiding the danger of leakage.

It is also an object of the invention to provide a skewback channel of the type referred to having a self-contained support for oversize courses of roof brick.

The above objects together with others which will be apparent from the drawing and following description, or which may be later referred to, may be attained by constructing the improved skewback channel in the manner hereinafter described in detail and illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

The invention may be briefly described in general terms as comprising a hollow steel skewback channel having a vertical outer wall, an inturned flange at its upper end, a flat bottom wall and an inner wall having a downwardly and inwardly inclined portion extending from a point spaced from the top of the channel to the inner end of the bottom wall, and forming a hollow enclosure divided by a horizontal partition wall into two cooling chambers with means for circulating cooling water through each chamber.

The skewback channel is formed of three preformed steel plates so welded together that no weld is exposed to the direct furnace heat and comprises a first member having a vertical upper portion with a horizontal inturned flange at its upper end, and a downwardly and inwardly inclined portion having an out-turned horizontal flange at its lower end, a second member of substantially L-shape having an inturned horizontal flange at its upper end for contact with the upper portion of the first member, and an inturned horizontal portion at its lower end,

so as to provide a water chamber extending entirely to the top of the channel, a third member of reclining L- shape for connection at opposite ends to the first and second members, so as to form a lower water chamber, and end plates or heads welded to opposite ends of the skewback channel thus formed to provide water-tight chambers therein.

In constructing the improved skewback channel, the first and second members are first welded together, this operation being accomplished by so positioning the secondmember relative to the first member that the vertical portions of the two members are in spaced parallel relation and the inner end of the horizontal portion of the second member is in contact with the inclined portion of the first member at a point spaced from the lower end thereof.

The inturned upper end of the second member is then welded to the upper end of the first member, and the inner end of the horizontal portion of the second member is welded to the inclined portion of the first member at the point of contact therewith.

The end plates or heads are then welded to opposite ends of the partly completed device, at the edge portions thereof, and each end plate is then internally welded to the underside of the horizontal portion of the second member.

The third member is then placed in position with the inner end of the horizontal portion thereof contacting the outer end of the horizontal portion of the first member and with the upper end of the vertical portion thereof contacting the juncture of the vertical and horizontal portions of the second member and is welded at these points of contact.

The lower portions of the end plates or heads are then edge-welded to the ends of the third member and .to the remaining lower portion of the first member, forming a hollow skewback channel with water-tight cooling chambers extending throughout the entire height thereof. Suitable water inlets and outlets are provided for each chamber.

Having thus briefly described the nature of the invention and the objects thereof, reference is now made to the drawings showing a preferred embodiment of the invention, in which:

Fig. l is a vertical transverse sectional view through a fabricated water-cooled steel skewback channel embodying the invention, showing the same mounted upon the top of a furnace side wall and supporting one end of the roof arch of the furnace;

Fig. 2 is an elevation of the outer side of the skewback channel shown in Fig. l

Fig. 3 is an end elevation of a partly completed skewback channel constructed in accordance with the invention, showing the first and second steel plate members welded together;

Fig. 4 is an end view of the partly completed article after the end plate or head is secured to one end of the partly completed article shown in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an elevation of the completed SliGWbfiCk channel; and,

Fig. 6 is a vertical transverse sectional view through a slightly modified form of the fabricated water-cooled steel skewback channel to which the invention pertains.

Referring now more particularly to the construction illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5, in which similar numerals refer to similar parts throughout, the upper portion of the side wall of an open hearth furnace or the like is shown at it), and the adjacent end portion of the roof arch of the furnace is indicated at 11 in Fig. l.

The fabricated watercooled steel skewbacl: channel which comprises the present invention is indicated generally at 12, and is shown in Fig. l as mounted upon the top of the side wall It) of a furnace in position to support the adjacent end of the roof arch 11. Conventional buckstays 13 may be attached to the outer sides of the furnace side Wall and to the skewback channel in usual and well known manner.

The improved skewback channel is shown as formed of a plurality of preformed steel plate members welded together to provide a hollow water-tight structure having water chambers extending throughout the entire height thereof.

As illustrated in Figs. 1 to 5 inclusive, the skewback channel is formed of three preformed steel plate members indicated generally at l4, l5 and 16 with correspondingly shaped end plates or heads 17 welded to opposite ends thereof.

The first member 14 is formed from a single steel plate comprising the upper vertical portion 13 with inturned horizontal flange l? at its upper end. The downwardly and inwardly inclined support 29 for oversize courses of roof brick is formed directly beneath the vertical portion 18 of the plate and the plate is then bent downwardly and outwardly as at 22 and then downwardly and in-' Wardly at 22 and terminates in the out-turned relatively short horizontal flange 23, the terminal edge of which is beveled as at 24.

The member 15 is of generally L-shape and compr ses the vertical portion 25 with inturned horizontal portion 26 at its lower end and the relatively short inturned horizontal flange 27 at its upper end, the terminal edge of which is preferably beveled as at 23.

As shown in the drawings, the member 15 is located relative to the member 14, so that the inturned upper flange 27 thereof contacts the upper end of the member 14 and is in horizontal alignment with the inturned horizontal flange 19 thereon, and is welded to the member 14 at the juncture of the vertical portion 18 and horizontal flange 19 thereof, as indicated at 29.

The L-shape member 15 is of less height than the member 14, whereby the terminal end of the inturned horizontal lower portion 26 thereof contacts the outer surface of the inclined portion 22 of the member 14 at a point spaced above the lower end thereof and is welded thereto as indicated at 30.

The third member, indicated generally at 16, is of reclining L-shape and comprises the relatively long horizontal portion 31 and the relatively short vertical portion 32 at the outer end thereof. The inner end of the horizontal portion 31 is beveled, as at 33, and is welded to the beveled edge 24 of the out-turned horizontal flange 23 of the member 14, as indicated at 34.

The upper end of the vertical portion 32 of the member 15 is preferably beveled, as indicated at 35, and is welded to the member 15 at the juncture of the vertical and horizontal portions 25 and 26 respectively thereof, as indicated at 36, whereby the vertical portion 32 of the member 16 is in vertical alignment with the vertical portion 25 of the member 15.

When the end plates or heads 17 are attached to opposite ends of the device, it will be obvious that two separate water chambers are formed within the same, namely the upper chamber indicated generally at 37, comprising the lower substantially triangular portion 38 and the upper portion 39 extending entirely to the top of the device.

Stay bolts 40 are preferably located through the vertical portion 25 of the member 12 and through the restricted upper portion of the Water chamber 37, being welded to the member 14 at the juncture of the inclined portions 21 and 22 thereof, as indicated at 41.

A substantially rectangular lower water chamber 42 is formed in the lower portion of the device below the horizontal portion 26 of the member 15. Cooling water may be circulated through the chambers thus formed. For this purpose inlets and outlets are provided for each chamber comprising an inlet 43 in one end of the lower chamber 42 and an outlet 44 in the other end thereof, located in opposite ends of the vertical flange 32 of the member 16. In the same manner, inlets 45 are formed at opposite ends near the lower end of the vertical portion 25 of the member 15 and outlets 46 near opposite ends of the upper portion thereof.

In assembling the several parts to form the horizontal water-cooled skewback channel, the L-shape member 15 is first attached to the member 14L in the manner above described and as shown in Fig. 3, by locating the inturned horizontal flange 27 at the upper end of the member 15 in contact with the juncture of the vertical portion 18 and upper horizontal flange 19 of the member 14 and welding the same thereto, as indicated at 29, and by weldng the inner end of the horizontal lower portion 26 of the member 15 to the outer side of the inclined portion 22 of the member 14 at a point spaced above the lower end thereof, as indicated at 3%.

The end plates or heads 17 are then connected to the partly completed structure of Fig. 3 in the manner shown in Fig. 4, by welding the vertical edge 47 of each end plate to the adjacent edge of the vertical portion 25 of'the member 15, as indicated at 48.

The inner edge 49 of each end plate or head 17 is shaped to conform to the contour of the member 14 and is welded to the adjacent edge portion thereof, as indicated at 50, this last-named weld extending along the adjacent edge of the vertical portion 18, downwardly and inwardly inclined portion 21?, downwardly and outwardly inclined portion 21 and downwardly and inwardly inclined portion 22 of the member 14., and may be continued around the lower horizontal edge 51 of the end plate to the end of the outturned horizontal flange 23, as indicated at 50.

The interior surface of each end plate 17 is then welded to the adjacent end of the horizontal portion 26 of the member as indicated at 52, thus forming the water-tight upper chamber 37 within the partly completed device.

The member 16 is then placed in position with the beveled inner edge 33 of the horizontal portion 31 thereof abutting the beveled outer edge 24 of the horizontal outturned flange 23 of the member 14, and welded thereto, as at 34, and with the beveled upper'edge 35 of the vertical flange 32 thereof in vertical alignment with the vertical portion 25 of the member 12 and welded thereto as shown at 36.

The remainder of the horizontal lower edge 51 of the end plate 17 is then welded to the adjacent edge of the horizontal portion 31 of the member 16, as indicated at 53, and this weld is continued upward along the lower portion of the vertical edge 47 of the end plate and the adjacent end of the vertical flange 32 of the member 16, as indicated at 54, in the manner shown in Fig. 5, thus completing the hollow water-cooled steel skewback channel and forming the lower water-tight chamber 42 therein.

The downwardly and inwardly inclined portion 22 of the hollow skewback channel thus formed provides a support for the adjacent end of the roof arch 11 of the furnace and it will be seen that the inwardly offset, downwardly and inwardly inclined portion 20 provides a self-contained support for oversize courses of roof bricks, as indicated at 11a.

The above-described construction provides for easily and readily welding the several preformed parts together to form a water-tight structure, none of the welds of which are exposed to the direct heat of the furnace, whereby the life of the skewback channel thus formed is greatly prolonged. It will also be seen that with this construction the entire interior of the skewback channel from the bottom to the top thereof is completely watercooled.

In the alternative form of the invention illustrated in Fig. 6, the members 15 and 16 are shown as of the same shape and arrangement as above described in detail and the same reference numerals are applied to the various parts thereof. However, the member indicated generally at 14a is somewhaat different from the member 14 shown in Figs. 1 to 5 and comprises the upper inturned horizontal flange 19a similar to the flange 19 abo've described, the vertical upper portion 18a, the downwardly and inwardly inclined portion 22a, similar to the portion 22 abovedescribed and terminating in the out-turned horizontal flange 23a, similar to the flange 23 above described, the terminal edge thereof being beveled as at 24a and welded to the oppo'sed beveled end 33 of the flange 31 of the member 16 as at 34a.

In this form of the invention the support for oversize courses of roof bricks is formed of a separate angular member comprising the downwardly and inwardly inclined portio'n inclined portion 21a, the terminal edges of which are welded to the vertical portion 18a of the member 14a, as indicated at 55 and 56.

The end plates or heads, such as shown at 17 in Figs. 1 to 5, may be attached to opposite ends of the structure vice is easily and readily constructed from a plurality of preformed steel plate members, which are so welded together that independent water-tight chambers are formed therein throughout the entire height of the device and whereby the furnace side of the skewback channel is a seamless, one-piece plate having a support thereon for oversize courses of roof bricks.

In the foregoing description, certain terms have been used for brevity, clearness and understanding, but no unnecessary limitations are to be implied therefrom beyond the requirements of the prior art, because such words are used for descriptive purposes herein and are intended to be broadly construe Moreover, the embodiments of the improved construction illustrated and described herein are by way of example, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the exact details of construction.

Having now described the invention or discovery, the construction, the operation, and use of preferred embodirnents thereof, and the advantageous new and useful results obtained thereby; the new and useful construction, and reasonable mechanical equivalents thereof obvious to those skilled in the art, are set forth in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A hollow, water-cooled, steel skewback channel for mounting upon the top of a furnace side wall to support the furnace roof, said skewback channel comprising a vertical outer wall, an inwardly disposed top wall connected to the upper edge of the outer wall, an inwardly disposed bottom wall connected to the lower edge of the outer wall, and an inner wall connected at its upper and lower edges to the top wall and bottom wall respectively at points spaced inwardly from the outer wall providing an elongated steel shell hollow throughout its entire height, said inner wall being downwardly and inwardly inclined from a point spaced below the top wall to the inner end of the bottom wall providing an angular skew face for supporting a furnace roof, a downwardly and inwardly inclined support for oversize courses of roof brick located on said inner wall above said skew face, and means for circulating cooling liquid throughout the entire height of said hollow shell.

2. A hollow, water-cooled, steel skewback channel for mounting upon the top of a furnace side wall to support the furnace roof, said skewback channel comprising a vertical outer wall, an inwardly disposed top wall connected to the upper edge of the outer wall, an inwardly disposed bottom wall connected to the lower 20a and the downwardly and outwardly shown in Fig. 6 in the same manner as above described 1 to form a complete hollow, water-cooled skewback channel having an upper cooling chamber indicated generally at 37:: with the lower substantially triangular portion 38a and the restricted upper portion 39a extending entirely to the top of the structure, and with a lower chamber 42a, the same as the lower chamber 42 shown and described in Figs. 1 to 5.

'From the above it will be obvious that a simple, inexpensive and efficient hollow, water-cooled skewback channel is provided for furnace. roof arches, in which the deedge of the outer wall, and an inner wall connected at its upper and lower edges to the top wall and bottom wall respectively at points spaced inwardly from the outer wall providing an elongated steel shell hollow throughout its entire height, said inner wall being downwardly and inwardly inclined from a point spaced below the top wall to the inner end of the bottom wall providing an angular skew face for supporting a furnace roof, said inner wall being angularly bent above said skew face to provide a downwardly and inwardly inclined support for oversize courses of roof brick, and means for circulating cooling liquid throughout the entire height of said hollow shell.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,271,045 Schuler Jan. 27, 1942 2,321,074 Fon Dersmith et al June 8, 1943 2,521,325 Barnes Sept. 5, 1950 2,840,046 Pottmeyer June 24, 1958 

